Bottle-stopper



Patented July 8, 1919. Y

INVENTOR A. H. WIRZ.

BOTTLE STOPPER.

APPLICATION FILED FEB. 17, i915.-

WITNESSES nueus'r HERMAN .wrnz, orMoYLAN, iz'nNNsizLvANIA..

BOTTLE-STOPPER.

Specification of Letters Patent. Patented lilyS, 1919.

Application filed February 17, 1915. Serial No. 8,724.

.To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, AUGUST HERMn-N lVIRz,=a citizen of the United "States, reslding at Moylan,ain the county of Delaware and State of Pennsylvania, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Bottle-Stoppers, of which the following is a specification. I

The purpose of my invention is toavoid entry of a plug closure fora pouring spout within the: apertured cork to which the pouring spout is attached, but to have it seal: with the cork, if vat all, against the top surface of the cork.

A further purpose of my invention is to use an apertured corkand pouring spout mounted thereon in connection with a preferably non-metallicplugclosure for the pouring spout which closure engages at its lower end face-with the top surfacerof t-he'apeu tured cork or'with a seat-above the cork,

and which does not enterthe apertureof the cork.

-A further purpose of my invention'is to use an auxiliary cork in connection with'the main cork, retaining the cap tothe cork by a tube which is preferablyof' the same diameter as the pouring spout and which forms a lining for a part of the aperture 1n the main cork, inserting theauxillary cork within the main cork to a depth substantially corresponding tothe length of this tube so that the -auxiliary corkmayseal at its sides against the tube or pouring spout or both, but. preferably not against the ver tical sides of the cork.

I have preferred to illustrate my invention by buta fewof the various forms in which obviously it may beqused, all of which forms illustrated are practical,' ef-, ficient and inexpensive and which. at the.

same time will illustrate the principlesof myinvention.

Figures 1, 2, 3, 5 and 6 arecentral vertical. sections through the various forms, respectively, of myinvention.

Fig. 4: is a top,.plan view of the cap structures and main corks ,in Figs. 1, 2 and. 3 but with the tops and auxiliary corks removed.

Fig. 7 is a broken side elevation, of the auxiliary cork and top In the drawings, similar numerals of reference indicate like parts.

1 designates a main bottle cork haying of the bottle. which-my invention is directed, this passage iswholly unlined (except in the form shown in Fig. 6) and provides acork-wall'ed conduit for the contents.

longitudinal opening2, preferably through the center, for passage of thefluid contents In the; type of stopper to 'Inthe best form'in which-this cork has bee used, the opening through thecork has been entered by a metallic plug whose lower ,end surface is therefore exposed -to the chemical action of the bottle contents 'particularly, during shipment and storage, up

to the time .when the bottles are set upright on the shelves for: sale. This objectionable contact is avoided entirely in the first and third forms of my invention and is .not un- V duly large in the other forms.

In carrying out my lnventlon I mount a metallic cap 3 upon the cork, and; secureit in position by any suitable ,means. The

tubular form of mount. shown comprises a.

depending ring or annulus5 or 5, enters a corresponding annular slit 6 or"6' in the upper part-of the cork. Except as this,

ring is useful in preventing side leakage.- of

fluid, any other means of securing the cap to-the cork may be used. In-Fig. 6ythe tubular retaining means cooperates withthe auxiliary cork to give a long side contact? -to .-1t without contact of the auxiliary cork .Wltl'l the vertical walls of-themaincorkL I form a pouring spout 7 upon the yl pper surface of the. cap and close this pouring spout by a preferably compressible plug8, which Ishall' here call anauxiliary cork. 7

It may be made of the samematerial as the malncork land is securely fastened to.-the top 9 by any suitable means,-from;among which I have shown in Figs. 1, 2 and 5. the.

cooperating thrcadsglO within the. top into whiohthe .cork is secured. and to whose interior. surface. it then corresponds. In Fig. .8 it is held in by friction assisted by cement if desired.

The lower part of the top .is of larger in I 'ternal diameter, as at 11, than the auxiliary cork in Figs. 1,2, 5 andl6 to receive theupperpart12 of the spout. This gives. an improved finish to the top and protects against dust and dirt In Fig; 3 the edges of the spout and top-9 abut."

The auxiliary icork8 is shown in Fig. 1 as closely fitting the interior: surface of the pouring spout, and as engaging, at its lower end with the top (annular) face of the main cork to form a complete cork closure for the contents of the bottle.

lVith a tubular cork-retaining means for the cap, a part of the advantage of my invention would obviously be attained by the use of the cork 8, even if it stopped short of the main cork when in closed position, as in Fig. 3.

In the form shown in Fig. 2, the cap retaining ring 5 differs from that of Fig. 1 in that it is of considerably larger diameter than the ring 5 in Fig. 1. Some additional radial flow of fluid would be permitted by this form, but this is of little moment when the auxiliary cork seals at its end against the upper (annular) face of the main cork, stopping the flow at this point. It has the advantages of frictional engagement of a much larger ring 5' with the main cork and of spacing this engagement farther radially from the central cork opening.

In the form shown in Fig. 5, the auxiliary cork 8 does not engage with the main cork at all, but seals against a cap flange 13. The lower part of the flange 13 may be made to engage with the upper surface of the main cork as shown in Fig. 5, preventing any flow of liquid laterally between the cork and the flange.

In the form shown in Fig. 6, the ring 5 is of the same diameter as the pouring spout 7 (as is also true in Fig. 1) but this form is illustrated with a main cork having an aperture corresponding nearly in diameter to the outside diameter of this ring, with the result that the ring forms a lining for the upper part of the aperture. It may be additionally secured in position by an outward flare 5 at the lower end, which flare may be placed upon the ring before insertion or after the cap has been placed upon the cork.

' In this form an additional length of auxiliary cork 8 is permissible, giving a longer sealing surface about its cylindrical exterior and protecting the metal ring, here a lining and preventing contact of the fluid content of the bottle with the ring and pouring spout throughout as much of the length of the ring, as may be desired. I have shown it as protecting substantially the whole length of the metallic lining. I prefer not to have any engagement of the auxiliary cork with the vertical walls of the aperture in the main cork, since this is injurious in the rubbing of the edges of the two corks against each other and unnecessary to proper sealing and protection of the metallic parts.

The frictional engagement of the side walls of the auxiliary cork necessary to hold it in place may be with either the pouring spout or ring (lining) alone where they are of different diameters or where the cork is of different diameters at different parts of its length; or the frictional engagement may be with both the spout and ring.

While I have preferred to make the aperture of the cork in this figure (6) of substantially the same diameter throughout so that the interior surface of the retaining tube beloW the cap shall be approximately in line with the cylindrical surface of the lower aperture of the cork, it will be evident that this is not essential, as the auxiliary cork would perform its sealing function against the interior of the retaining tube 5 without regard to whether this tube was larger or smaller in diameter than the lower aperture in the lower part of the cork, or the same size as this aperture.

For example, with a larger aperture in the uppe part of the main cork than in the lower part thereof and a retaining tube having larger interior diameter than that of the lower part of the aperture, the auxiliary cork would seal against the interior ofthe retaining tube throughout such part of the length of the retaining tube as desired and, if it reached throughout the entire length of this retaining tube (to the bottom of the larger portion of the aperture in the main cork) could be made to seal about its lower face against the annular seat formed in the main cork where the diameter of the aperture in the cork was enlarged.

For convenience I have referred to the material of the auxiliary cork merely as cork, intending to include therein any suitable material.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is 1. In a device of the character stated, a main cork having a longitudinal opening, a cap secured upon the cork, a pouring spout upon the cap and an auxiliary cork engaging the interior of the pouring spout and the upper annular face of the main cork.

2. In a device of the character stated, a main cork having a longitudinal opening, a cap secured upon the cork, a pouring spout upon the cap, a top for the pouring spout and an auxiliary plug of easily compressible, solid, non-metallic material secured to said top, adapted to enter by sliding movement and engage the interior side surface of the pouring spout and seal resiliently against said interior surface.

3. In a device of the character stated, a main cork having a longitudinal opening, a cap secured upon the cork, a pouring spout upon the cap, a top for the pouring spout and an auxiliary plug cork secured to said top, adapted to engage the interior surface of the pouring spout and the upper annular face of the cork.

4. In a device of the character stated, a main cork having a longitudinal opening, a cap secured upon the cork, a pouring spout upon the cap, a top for the pouring spout and a plug of easily compressible, solid, nonmetalllc material secured Within the top and adapted to enter the pouring spout by. sliding movement, to have resilient sealing engagement with the inner side Walls of the pouring spout and seal resiliently also along an annulus at its lower end.

5. In a device of the character stated, a

10 main cork having a longitudinal opening,

AUGUST HERMAN WIRZ.

Witnesses: J. LUTHERIA KAUFFMAN,

THo'MAs D. MOWLDS.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. G. 

